


Little Issues

by AmazonX



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Love Conquers All, Magical problems, Skinny!Steve, magical solutions, now I don't need high heels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-12 18:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2119677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazonX/pseuds/AmazonX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has a fateful meeting with Victor von Doom and it doesn't come out well for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've seen a lot of challenges and snippets were people have made Steve small, but no one followed through, that I've read, to where he's made big again. So, I wanted to see how that would play out, especially with Darcy along for the ride. This is my Het OTP, so I will write them any way I can! :) AND THANK YOU TO MY BETA, EMYRLDLADY! I always forget that, too! :)

Darcy sat in the lab with Jane, as Jane paced back and forth through the space. Darcy was busy making sure the three optimization programs she wrote with Tony were compiling the data properly, not getting hung up on extraneous bad context errors. Sometimes, when you’re writing code on 2 hours of sleep after 3 days awake, you make silly mistakes. But Jane couldn’t be distracted by work. Thor and the rest of the Avengers had assembled to fight Victor Von Doom, after he had waylaid the Fantastic Four with several hundred of his Doombot Sentinels.

Sure, Darcy was worried about Steve, not that he knew it. She hadn’t gotten up the courage to tell the Star-Spangled Man that she had a plan of her own, for the two of them to be naked and do what came naturally. Sure, she’d actually seen him almost completely naked, when she accidentally walked into the locker room and he was in the open communal shower. He turned his back, out of politeness, but she noticed he didn’t blush. She couldn’t get the sight of the curve of his perfect bubble butt out of her mind. And Jane had to yell at her to stop drawing butts in the margins of the meeting minutes she took.

Steve seemed kind of indifferent to her. He was always polite, asked her about herself, listened when she babbled what science she knew, but he didn’t joke around with her the same way that Clint or Bruce did. Bruce had a dryer sense of humor, but he was wickedly funny, and it got more and more bizarre the more sleep he lost. Clint was filthy, dark and hilarious. And Darcy loved them both as close as brothers. But it was truth, justice and honor that turned her head.

“How can you concentrate?” Jane finally shouted. Tension breaker, had to be done.

“Easily. I compartmentalize. No news is good news. JARVIS would let us know if casualties were headed for the tower, so we could be useful. Now, relax, have a cup of tea, and stop bothering me!” Darcy snapped. She snapped a little too sharply, giving away to Jane that she was just as worried about the team as she was. Darcy was just better at hiding it.

*-*-*-*

It was a helluva battle, one that Steve had hoped to keep in the air, with Natasha and Clint in the Quinjet, Tony, Wanda and Thor flying and Hulk jumping from building tops. Pietro was down on the street, zipping around to keep people off the streets and helping the police. Steve, however, had gone to Victor Von Doom’s tower, to the heart of the problem, to find the man himself. Victor was recently back from Latveria, and the rumor was he had been studying magic. The super villain had monologued how angry he was that Wanda could confound his creations with her hex-spells. He upped his game, trying to out-hex the Scarlet Witch.

Under Steve’s shield on his back was a rocket pack Tony had built for him. Steve always lamented that he was a partial hindrance to the team because he could not fly, couldn’t take the fight to the air like the others could. Tony, being the inventor and obsessive builder of things, he didn’t sleep for four days until he’d perfected a jetpack, using repulsor technology, and powered by a miniature arc reactor. Steve didn’t take very long to learn how to use it, and was very happy to finally be able to join the team in the air.

Steve landed silently on the highest balcony of Doom’s building, fading back into the shadows. He watched and waited until he saw Doom wander out of a side room. He was watching the fight on large video screens from cameras located in the eyes of the robots. As one robot was shot out of the sky and the picture blinked out, another camera started up and captured the action.

It didn’t make sense. These Doombots were large, hollow and easily defeated. There were just a lot of them. And they weren’t going after anyone but the Avengers. Not civilians or buildings or anything where leverage could be gained. Steve realized Doom just wanted to keep the Avengers busy while he did something else.

Steve refused to wait a moment longer and with a few steps back, Steve took off at full speed running at the glass doors of the balcony. He crashed through the glass and rolled on the ground up to his feet. He held his shield in front of him and said, “Enough, Doom, recall those robots and deactivate them, now!”

Victor Von Doom, brilliant scientists taken down by his insatiable greed and unrelenting arrogance, was relegated to a monster hiding behind a steel mask. He turned slowly towards Steve, face unreadable behind the mask.

“How dare you break into my home and give me orders, Captain! You think you can tell everyone what to do? Maybe you’re…what’s the phrase they used in your day ‘too big for your britches’?”

Doom started walking toward Steve, but Steve held his ground, bringing up his shield. Steve watched as Doom’s hands clenched and unclenched, while the lights flickered and the screens blinked on and off.

“Doom, do what I said, and no one gets hurt!” Steve commanded.

“Oh? And who would you be hurting, good Captain? It’s not like you to commit acts of gratuitous violence. That’s my job!” Doom let loose a bolt of pure electricity directed at Steve, who easily deflected it with his shield. Doom leapt back, sending a glowing ball at the shield and knocking it into the wall, lodging it there. Steve began to crouch, eyes darting around the room in a desperate search for another weapon or shield and he started to move sideways. Doom watched as Steve started grabbing for anything, and moved it all out of his reach.

Steve kept one eye on Doom and the other on his shield lodged in the wall. Steve started trying to maneuver toward it, but Doom caught his strategy and sent a wave to embed the shield further into the wall, out of Steve’s reach.

“Captain, I think I should teach you a lesson about how you act in someone’s home. Teach you the manners of old, from a time long ago, a time when you were a truly different man…”

Steve was confused. What did Doom mean “truly different man?” He kept trying to find some kind of weapon, short of tossing the jetpack at the man. But having run out of options, that’s exactly what he did, and his heart sank a bit when the pack disintegrated at Doom’s feet.

“That’s no way to treat a gift from your friend Tony Stark, is it? If that’s how you want to play, Captain, then let me make you thankful for all the gifts you’ve been given!” Doom raised his hands, both glowing brightly, and he thrust that swirling energy right into Steve’s chest.

Pain, that’s what he felt first, white hot, sharp pain. It had been a while since pain had affected him so much. With his high speed cellular regeneration, usually pain was muted and then dissipated rather quickly. But this was pain reminiscent of ages ago, something he never thought he’d remember. He collapsed on the floor, and as the pain got stronger, his body couldn’t handle it, and then the blackness took him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is awake. Darcy is watching. Clint hears everying. Tony is not Fonzie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the second bit. Thank you for the love from Chapter 1. I don't have snappy chapter names, but hey, the story speaks for itself. So, tell me what you think of chapter 2!

*-*-*-*

Darcy stared down at the wan face of Steve Rogers, still in his coma. His skin had lost the healthy glow of his post-serum body, splotches under his eyes so dark they looked like black eyes, his breathing was shallow and had a bit of a wheeze to it. He’d been found by the Avengers in Doom’s abandoned tower penthouse, lying on the floor of the destroyed lounge. Tony grabbed him up in his arms and flew Steve across town to the Avengers tower, straight into medical. The doctors were stumped by what happened, but they treated Steve’s injuries and waited for him to wake up to find out what had happened.

The Avengers made their way out into the world, trying to find Doom, other than storming Latveria and starting an international incident. While they weren’t beholden to any country or nation, they did make their home in New York City, and didn’t want to subject that city or its inhabitants to retaliation.

The room was warm. Steve liked it warm, usually, a holdover from being in the ice, and from the poverty of his youth, Darcy suspected, but this was really warm. She was only a casual acquaintance of Steve’s, but she paid very close attention to his likes and dislikes.

So she nursed her crush in private, except when she and Jane had their wine, cheese and whine parties, where they drank, ate and complained about men. Occasionally, Pepper and Natasha would join them, which was great because Pepper had the good wine and Natasha had the good vodka. She tried, but sometimes, she let it slip how she watched Steve walk around the tower all business, never play. And that does things to a person.

And here he was, lying in a bed, in a coma from a dose of dangerous, evil magic and they weren’t sure he’d make it out. ‘Why did he go in alone?’ she thought to herself. Doom was rumored to be using magic, from gypsies he imprisoned in his country, so he said. But what he was doing, no gypsy would ever do, so Wanda Maximoff told her. Wanda was a very private woman when not in Avengers board meetings. She never attended a ladies’ night, but when Darcy would go to the board meetings, in lieu of Jane at times, Wanda was insistent about her culture, or her powers, and the other members were very respectful of her. And if she had no idea how to deal with this magical spell, it was doubtful anyone would.

There was call out to Dr. Strange, who might be able to help figure out the spell, but he was not on this plane, they were told. Plane of reality, that is. He was in another universe. And Steve lay in the bed, possibly dying. And Darcy was helpless.

A sigh came from the figure on the bed, and Darcy perked up.

“Steve? Hey, you awake?” she asked softly, picking up his limp hand.

Those impossibly long lashes of his fluttered and then clear blue eyes opened upon her. Darcy smiled, but Steve didn’t smile back. The beeping of the heart monitor began getting faster, and the nurse and doctor came running into the room. Darcy was ushered out, but she waited beyond the room, looking through the huge glass pane. Behind her, the other Avengers began piling into the waiting area, watching the doctor and nurse check Steve over, speak to him and take vitals. The sea of sad faces reflected in the glass, but only one person stood beside Darcy, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Darce,” Jane said. “They’ll figure out a way to make Steve big again.”

*-*-*-*

“I’m what?” Steve rasped, coughing against a dry throat. He could feel the breath in his lungs starting to fail him.

The doctor pulled an oxygen mask over his face and then instructed the nurse to inject his IV with steroids for his lungs. Steve started to feel better right away, and then it hit him. He was having one of his attacks, from before the serum. The pain he felt, so intense, and he was still in a hospital bed. Steve began to fight against the covers, trying to move them, trying to pull them off and sit up, but the nurse easily held him down by the shoulders. Bruce shouldered past the staring group and into the room.

“Steve, hey, calm down there, buddy,” he started, grabbing the chart from the doctor in the lab coat. “Do I have to get the other guy to calm you down?” Bruce smiled down at Steve, but didn’t get one in return.

“What happened?” Steve asked through the mask.

“Well, as far as we can tell, what Wanda has assessed, you were hit with a spell that brought you back to your pre-serum state. I don’t know how, and neither do any of the other medical professionals. It’s pure magic and we’re trying to get you the best help on this planet, or any planet.”

“Why?” Steve asked.

“Why did this happen? Or why are we trying to get you back to normal?” Bruce asked. He was truly confused.

Steve just shook his head. He sighed heavily. And that brought on another coughing fit.

“Rest, Steve. They’re doing your blood work right now. I’ve looked over your old folder from the SSR, and we’re aware of your particular medical needs. There are medications for your high blood pressure, your angina, your asthma. You can live a fairly normal life until we find a way to return you to your former self.”

“Can you fix my problem with rhythm? My dancing still sucks.”

Bruce smiled. That was Steve, no matter the size. “Sorry, man, you’re cursed with bad white-man dancing. You have some people who are dying to see you. You want me to let the team in?”

“Yeah, just the team, though. I see others out there, and I can’t…I dunno, not yet. OK?” The look on Steve’s face was heartbreaking. He was pleading for his pride, which wasn’t something he ever did. Bruce felt it was worth it in this case.

Bruce just nodded and walked to the door. He opened it and immediately, Darcy started forward. Bruce just held his hand up. “Just team members, please.”

There was a moment of stillness, then Tony stepped forward, patting Darcy on the shoulder and said, “No worries, Shortcake, I’ll fill you in.”

“You are not Fonzie!” she snapped as he walked past her, followed by Thor, Clint, Natasha and Pietro. Darcy stood and waited, but after exchanging a few words with Steve, Clint walked over to the window and closed the blinds. Darcy looked at Jane and smiled sadly.

“Yeah, that’s not a sideshow we wanna see anyway,” she wisecracked and then left the area. She had a small set of rooms on a lower level than the rest of the Avengers. Jane shared rooms with Thor, as he demanded, but she insisted Darcy have rooms in the tower as well. She told Darcy it was because she felt guilty that Darcy didn’t have her degree and used all her savings on their years in London. So, while Stark Industries gave them a generous salary, they had free room and board, and access to the fleet of company vehicles that Pepper kept for company business. Jane hoped Darcy was saving money again, so she could finish her degree in New York, and do something more meaningful than feed, water and walk crazy scientists.

Darcy exited the elevator on her floor, where there were guest suites for SI employees to use when they worked late, or were visiting from other location. Her place wasn’t as big and luxurious as Jane’s on the Avengers’ floors, all connected to that massive communal kitchen and lounge to beat all lounges. Darcy had a small place, entry by the eat-in kitchen that was open to the living room, which had a wall that separated the medium-sized bedroom and her very simple bathroom. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was better than sharing a motorhome with Jane and Selvig in the desert.

She didn’t have much stuff from her travels, because she didn’t have much in New Mexico, nor London, so it was easy to keep the place neat. She changed into her pajamas and then sat on the couch with a microwave meal to watch repeat episodes of Law and Order. She loved Jerry Orbach.

After six hours and two pints of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, Darcy realized she wasn’t going to get to sleep any time soon. She went down to the infirmary and stood outside Steve’s room. The door was closed. The curtain was closed on the glass window, still. He didn’t want anyone around him. Darcy sighed, trying to lighten the weight that settled in her chest that was threatening to squeeze the breath from her lungs.

“Go see him,” came Clint’s voice from behind her. Darcy jumped, heat filling her face.

“What? No, I can’t. He doesn’t want to see anyone, Rio,” Darcy said.

“You know, I’m amazed at the bird references that you all keep floating around here. Pretty good. How come you never say these things to Sam? But seriously, you should go in and talk to him.” Clint strode forward to stand next to Darcy, looking at the closed door. There was a whoosh of air, and Pietro was suddenly standing on Darcy’s other side.

“You should go in, Darce.” And then he whooshed off. She hated him for that.

“Why is everyone in my business?” she asked Clint, turning to him.

“Pietro was passing by when you were talking to Jane, once. And well, my patrols take me to places where…”

“Where you can fit into the vents and listen to everyone’s secrets, you fucking asshole.” There was no venom in her words.

“So, those weeks you spent hating Coulson for lying to you about being dead, that didn’t happen? Cuz I remember the sound of sobs in the vents more than once. And my ice cream stash being relieved of a few pints.”

“You stock the good stuff, not that gourmet/artisan shit. Tony can keep his rose petal/violet fucking ice cream. Give me Chunky Monkey any day of the week!”

“You keep eating it, you’ll be the chunky monkey.”

They both chuckled a moment, then reality splashed back.

“Walk in that room, take his hand and make him feel normal. Because right now, that’s the last thing he feels. You got me?”

“Is this an official Avengers’ team order?” she asked, a bit of a grin growing on her face.

“Do you need it to be? I can make it an official order.”

“Well, don’t, because no one listens to you anyway.” With a deep breath for strength, Darcy slowly pushed the door to Steve’s room open and walked in.

Steve was sitting up in the bed, tablet in his hands and he seemed to be doing some kind of work. Just like Steve, always trying to be useful. He was reading intently, but one hand was at the bridge of his nose, massaging between his eyes.

“Hey, Steve,” she said brightly. She didn’t want to interrupt work, but if he needed someone to cheer him up, she’d do her best.

“Oh, hey, Darcy. I…hey.” Steve looked back down at his tablet and Darcy could see the blush creeping up his face.

“So…doing some work?” she asked, awkward crawling out of her quickly.

“Uh…yeah, old reports. Going back over things. Trying to see if we came across someone who may be able to help.”

“I know that Wanda is working on it. I guess you just have to wait.”

“I know. I’ve been told.”

Darcy looked around the room, which was a typical med room, but there were extra chairs. Steve must have followed her gaze.

“Sorry, I guess if you want, you can sit. I’m not great company right now.”

“I can make up for that if you want. I’m usually pretty mouthy, I talk a lot, and I know you’re pretty quiet on your best days, so I can make up for it. Whacha reading specifically? I read all the reports from the Avengers, especially Clint, since he can’t spell for shit. Ohh, sorry, I mean, well, I don’t know what I mean.”

“It’s OK, I swore plenty in the war, in Brooklyn back in the day. When I need to, I swear.”

“Yeah, but you’re not like, I dunno, shocked by me, are you? Most people don’t know what to make of me.” Darcy smiled self-depricatingly and shrugged, with dramatic hands up.

“No, not really. I mean, I traveled all over America with a troupe of dancers, and those ladies ran the gamut of debutantes to…”

“Not debutantes?”

Steve smiled, and laughed a little. “Yes, pretty much. But all the ladies were stand up gals.”

“You mean, no hanky panky on the road? That’s a big internet thing, whether or not you made your way through the entire company of dancers, the European touring group, or just the girls on top of the motorcycle.”

Steve laughed out loud at that. “Oh, gosh, really? Well, no, I didn’t. I was watched like a hawk, and there was a chaperone for the ladies. But I tell ya, there was one gal, Sadie Johnson, who could throw dice like a real pro. And when she rolled them bones snake eyes, she would let loose with a string of filthy language like I only heard on the docks! And believe me, if I ever tried talking like that…well, back in the day, most folks knew my ma, from the hospital. If I stepped out of line, I got hit in the street by whoever caught me, then I got hit by my ma for doing it. Then I got hit for getting caught. So, it was just easier to keep my trap shut.”

“Wow, like strangers would hit kids?” Darcy asked, eyes wide.

“No! Like neighbors who knew your family. Yeah, kids got hit a lot. My ma didn’t have much reason to mostly, unless I got caught by other people. Then it was expected. But because I was so sick most of the time, she felt sorry, and let me get away with a lot of things. Plus, since I never knew my da, she just did the best she could.”

Darcy nodded, smiling sadly. “She did awesome, Steve.”

The blush she’s always wanted to produce on his face blossomed. “She’d never understand this, would she?”

“If you weren’t actually here, would you? If I went back in time with, say, a Starkphone, you’d call it magic! If I went back another hundred years before your time, I’d be a witch.”

“Yeah, magic is just science we don’t know yet,” Steve said, settling back. His eyes looked like they were drooping.

“I’m gonna let you get some more rest. I hope you feel better.” Darcy started to stand.

“You can come back, if you want. Any time, you know.” Steve smiled, and it made his face look so young and hopeful. His face was full of his big, blue eyes.

“Of course. Anything you want.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Tony is a yenta, and Natasha is truly gorgeous. But the entire team is trying to be matchmakers, now! And it's working!

*-*-*-*

As Steve was recuperating, Darcy visited him every day before she went to the lab, then at lunch, then after work. She brought her tablet filled with news articles, games, TV shows and movies. Before long, Steve was released from medical with a bag full of medications and several pages of information of how to manage his asthma, his high blood pressure and his angina. Also, he was on preventative care for any colds or other illnesses he might contract. Darcy held his hand for the flu shot they gave him. She got one as well, just in case. She didn’t want to give anything to him.

One afternoon, while Darcy was working with Jane, transcribing notes from the night before, Tony came over and sat beside her.

“What do you want, Tin Man?” she asked, not even looking up from what she was doing.

“Nothing really. You may want what I have to offer. But that’s up to you.”

This piqued Darcy’s attention. She stopped typing and took her glasses off to look at Tony.

“I have an open suite of rooms on Cap’s floor, in the Avengers’ space. You want I should move you?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her.

“Why would you do that? And shouldn’t Pepper or her assistant be doing this? It’s like under Stark Industries, still, isn’t it?” she asked. She was beginning to feel weird about this.

“OK, Hot Lips, you got me. But no, Pepper wouldn’t care. She runs the actual business side of my business. I have the name, it’s mine, but she runs it. She doesn’t give a flip who moves where inside.”

Darcy just nodded, pursing her lips. “So, I can move onto Steve’s floor. Have a super swingin’ bachelor pad like he has?”

“You say the word, Kitten, let Daddio do the work!”

“Fo’ shizzle, my dizzle!”

The two looked each other over and shook their heads. Tony smiled. “Let’s agree to never do that again.”

They both nodded and after work that night, Darcy found boxes in her small apartment. She packed her few things, setting out clothes for the next day, and the rest of her things were packed. Tony would get them moved the next day while she worked. That had happened when she was a little girl. Her parents had moved houses twice but in the same town. He mother was so organized when it came to moving, she would leave one house in the morning to go to school, and go back to another in the afternoon to go home.

When Darcy got to her door, she heard another open down the hall. She looked and it was Steve, coming out to see her.

“Hey, neighbor!” she called. “You checking on that new lady down the hall who makes all the noise?”

“Hey, no, I wanted to check on the cute lab assistant who’s classin’ up the joint.”

Darcy smiled and blushed a little herself. “I could use some help unpacking,” she said, shrugging.

Steve’s smile fell. He looked down and shoved his hands into his pocket, hunching over, making himself look even smaller than he already was. He didn’t look comfortable in his clothes, nor his skin.

“I don’t think you want me. I can’t lift…”

“Oh, no! The boxes are already in there, where they need to be. Tony had maintenance do it. I mean, you know, open the boxes and help me put things away. There are only a few. I don’t have many things. You kinda lose stuff in moves. I lost stuff between college, New Mexico, London and here.”

“I’m sorry. I can loan you…”

“No, I’m set for now. Just need to get it from the boxes to the closet and drawers. So? We can order Chinese and then when we’re done watch Cars and Cars 2. You will love Tow Mater!”

“Yeah, ok, lemme…um…get my inhaler.”

“My door’s open!” she called, going in first. The place was blandly decorated, the way her other room was, but there was much more space. Her living room was twice the size of the entire apartment downstairs. The kitchen was tricked out, and she wanted to finally learn how to bake. The television was taking up almost an entire wall, and she didn’t even want to mention the bedroom. But she looked, and it was MASSIVE, and the bed, king sized. The closet was something like Carrie Bradshaw had in “Sex and the City” with tons of hanging bars and a whole cabinet just to store her shoes. She didn’t want to look to see if there was a set of drawers for her accessories and jewelry. That would be too luxurious for the first look.

Then came the bathroom. Marble floors that were heated, a separate tub, with Jacuzzi jets, a shower stall with several shower heads on both sides, in case there was more than one person and a bench with a waterfall beside it for shaving your legs, she figured. The sink was marble, the fixtures were gold and there was a settee. An actual upholstered settee set by the windows, so she could sit in comfort and look out on the city while she applied moisturizer. She knew that the windows were coated with material that allowed light in, but no one could view back. So she could sit naked in her bathroom, with its ceiling to floor windows and no one could see her. Which would be difficult since there were no buildings that tall on the west side of the building.

“Anyone home?” came the call from the living room.

“In here!” Darcy called from the bathroom.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I can come back…”

“No, Steve, I’m just looking around. You have to see this place!” she called out.

Steve came through the door and looked around. “Yeah, it looks like mine. The shower is nice, but I haven’t had a chance to use my bathtub yet. I took enough of those when I was little. I got used to showers in the Army.”

“I bet. I may have to have myself a bubble bath in here one day. But hey, let’s start putting my stuff away.”

They went into Darcy’s bedroom first, and she had Steve sit on the bed to hand her clothes that she could either hang or put in one of the dressers in her room. She didn’t have nearly a fourth the amount of clothes the room could hold. They ended up watching movies and eating take out Chinese all night. Steve left Darcy dozing on her couch in the wee hours of the morning.

When Darcy woke up later in the morning, she looked around for Steve, but realized he must have gone back to his place. An inquiry to JARVIS told her that Steve was still sleeping, which was something he never did when he was super-serumed up. She decided to make him breakfast, waffles with fruit, and bring them to him in bed, with juice and coffee. JARVIS helped by opening the doors for her. She placed the tray in the kitchen and went to find Steve in the bedroom.

He was still asleep, on his side, curled up in the covers, mouth open to breathe. Probably his sinusitis plaguing him again. She’d been briefed by Bruce on all his medical issues and she was prepared to help him with everything. She sat on the bed beside him and stroked his hair gently. Slowly, Steve’s eyes blinked open, but instead of the smile Darcy hoped for, Steve frowned at her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, breathing a little heavily. His asthma was starting to kick in. Darcy reached over onto the bedside table and grabbed his inhaler for him. Steve took a hit and calmed a bit.

“I’m here to bring you breakfast, but not in bed. You’ll have to get up,” she said, smiling but not moving.

Steve didn’t move either. “Um…can you meet me in the kitchen? I’ll just be a minute.”

“Sure…whatever you say, Steve-o,” she replied, getting up to slowly walk out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. In the kitchen, she set the table for them, hoping Steve liked her cooking.

She heard coughing and was going to go see what was wrong, then heard the toilet flush. She felt her own blush creep up her cheeks. Steve walked into the kitchen, one of his older shirts dwarfing his frame, and hanging near to his knees. It was a truly Herculean effort on Darcy’s part not to snort and break into laughter. But that would be bad news for their budding relationship.

They ate in relative silence and while Darcy arranged for housekeeping to grab their breakfast plates for the main kitchen, Steve showered and then went back to his bedroom, and there wasn’t any sound from the room. Darcy waited quietly, flipping through the channels on Steve’s TV. When another 15 minutes had gone by, she became concerned. It didn’t take her this long to get dressed, and she’s a girl. So, she went over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Steve? You OK?” she called quietly.

“Captain Rogers has asked that he be left alone for the rest of the day, Miss Lewis, if possible. He has a…unique situation that he would rather address with other members of the team. He means no disrespect to you.”

Darcy looked at the ceiling, and one day she vowed to find the speakers JARVIS used. But until then, she would just assume he was like God, everywhere. So she shrugged and said, “Tell Steve no offense taken. If anyone needs me, I’m going to go down to the lab and hang out with Jane the rest of the day.”

“Well noted, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy left the room and the frown took over her face. Why would Steve want her to leave him alone? What could be such a big issue that she couldn’t help him? Was it a guy thing she had no idea about that only a guy could understand? Maybe she didn’t know everything there was to know about Steve Rogers like she thought she did. Then again, she knew a lot about Captain America, not the real man. And apparently, the real man didn’t need her.

Then it dawned on her as the elevator on his floor opened and Natasha and Sam walked out of the car past her.

“Hello, Darcy,” Natasha said. Darcy watched her lush mouth coated in glittery pink lip gloss form her name. Yes, the woman had a scary reputation, but to Darcy, her presence was more enchanting than intimidating. She did that on purpose, she told Darcy one night after vodka shots. It lulled people into a false sense of security around her and they let their guard down so she could get information or a physical upper hand easier.

“Hey, PolySci,” Sam said, making a gun sign with his hand and clicking his tongue.

“Oh, Steve doesn’t want any company,” she called out to their backs.

Natasha turned in that graceful yet dangerous way she had of moving and said, “He called us up here. Don’t worry, it’s not personal. We need to do some team things together. We’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot up at the last statement and she watched as Natasha and Sam disappeared into Steve’s suite. OK, now it was getting even weirder. Steve didn’t want to hang out with her, but he wanted his old team mates, and they were going to see her later for dinner. If she was going to do one thing, she was going to find out what those two were trying to do for Steve.

She spent the afternoon auditing the new interns’ filing for Jane, making sure it made sense for Jane, and ignoring it making sense for anyone else. She worked with them, just tweaking certain things, almost like giving herself busy work. She didn’t want to check the time on her phone, or check and see if Natasha or Sam sent her a text about what Steve was up to with them. But even after six, when Jane finally called quitting time, she’d heard nothing. So, back to her rooms, Darcy stood in front of her refrigerator looking to see if anything she had would go together to make a dinner. She had a fleeting thought to make hotdogs with mac and cheese on them, but while it sounded delicious, she didn’t want to taste it for the rest of the night.

Out of nowhere came JARVIS, “Miss Lewis, you are requested for dinner tonight in the common floor dining room at seven-thirty. You are also requested to, and to quote Master Stark, ‘dress to impress’.”

“Tell them I’ll be there, J. Thanks!”

Darcy was ecstatic! She’d bought a dress in London, and it was wholly impractical for everything she did on a regular basis. But she had to have it. It was red, with a halter top, not too low cut, but it was completely backless to her waist. That was something different for her. Usually she had her bosom on parade. But showing her back was something she felt would be just as provocative, but less embarrassing to Steve. Maybe he wasn’t a virgin, and maybe he wasn’t a prude, but he wasn’t a playboy either. She knew he had experience, but it was limited. Shoving her breasts at him was a sure way to turn him off. This would give him just enough to want to touch her skin all night long.

She wanted to wear a pair of super-high heels, because she was exceptionally small, but now the person she wanted to stand next to was as tall as she was. So she went with ballet flats of the same color as her dress, hoping she would even be dancing that night.

When she walked into the common floor lounge, everyone was standing around, holding cocktails and talking. They all turned to her, and there were gasps of surprise. She wore her hair down, curled in ringlets that finally behaved for once and looked silky and not frizzy. She added a headband she’d glued plastic red jewels to, which might have looked cheap and gaudy, but without any other jewelry, it added just the right amount of sparkle hiding in her hair.

When Steve stepped forward, he was dressed very differently from what he normally wore. His shirt and tie matched, as well as his trousers, all a sedate dark purple. It went well with his blond hair that was swept to the side, styled with a little gel. He looked at her, eyes wide in wonder, and a huge smile broke out on his face.

“Wow, Darcy, you look incredible,” he said, his breath leaving him almost completely.

“Thank you,” she said, twirling to let the full skirt of her dress swirl around her legs, but also to show off the lack of material at the back.

“Oh, wow, that’s…some dress. Would you like a drink?” he asked. He held a tumbler with scotch, something he drank for the taste because as a super soldier, he couldn’t get drunk due to accelerated cellular regeneration. But this night, he would be able to feel a nice buzz before dinner, then wine with the meal would relax him further.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll have…something light.”

A glass of champagne was held in front of her, and Darcy looked up to see Thor standing beside her, dressed in his Asgardian royal finery. Jane stood beside him in a long column gown of the palest pink. Darcy took the flute of bubbly liquid to take a sip, but didn’t take her eyes off Steve, who smiled wider than she’d ever seen before. She hit her mark.

“Thank you,” she said, absently, still staring at Steve. She and Steve chatted for a while, about nothing in particular, like the weather, and how Darcy was settling into her apartment. How work was with Jane and all things of the like. The rest of the team hovered around them, not really speaking, but watching intently. Things seemed to be working well.

They sat down to dinner, a huge American gourmet affair, upscale reworks on old classics, served by a wait staff on small plates, with small portions. Steve looked at it strangely a moment.

“This is called small plate, which I know, duh, right? But it’s so that you can taste everything and not get bloated-full. Which is something I don’t think I can do in this dress.”

Steve smiled and said, “That dress is absolutely incredible. I didn’t make the connection when we unpacked it.”

“Well, you’re looking pretty spiffy, yourself. Very dapper. Wait, is this new?” Darcy asked, reaching out to touch the silk tie.

“Wuh…well, yes, I…Sam and Natasha went with me today, to get clothes that fit me. All the clothes in my room are from when I…”

“You were jumbo economy-sized, yeah, I remember. I saw that shirt you slept in.”

“Yeah, sorry. I just…it sucks, you know, not being Captain America anymore.”

“What? You mean, all Captain America was just some big guy in a suit? So, the guy who can speak French because he spent time in France 70 years ago, the guy who was the first to get the flag down in 17 years, the guy who could read German well enough to fly the plane away from harming people in 1945, that guy was all just height and muscles? So, there’s nothing you can contribute to the team? Not military intelligence, or strategy and planning, enemy analysis…nothing? Wow, Steve, you’re really selling yourself short.”

Then they both blushed, since it was an unfortunate misspeak on Darcy’s part. “Short comes with the package, Darce,” he said, sadly.

“Well, you may think you’re short. But to me, you’re just the right height. I don’t have to wear platform heels with you. I can wear some comfy flats, so that’s a plus!”

Darcy’s smile and positive mood was infectious. She engaged Steve in conversation all night, bringing up the virtues of his size, citing that if he learned things like tai chi and krav maga, he would be able to deal with the bullies that he came upon in the future. When dinner was over, they retired to the lounge for dessert and this was something Darcy wouldn’t let Steve get away without having something. So they ate together. And were served dessert wine. And more food, and more wine. By the time midnight rolled around, Darcy looked up and noticed the rest of the team had left them alone. The fire had died down in the hearth, the music had gone from pop to slow, sexy jazz, and Darcy was feeling no pain between the sweet and delicious desserts and the sweet accompanying wine.

“I think everyone is trying to tell us something,” Darcy said, reaching out to stroke the side of Steve’s head, threading her fingers through his hair. Steve’s eyes closed, and he leaned in to the touch which sent a shiver down his spine. Steve wasn’t smooth, that’s for sure, but he maneuvered himself forward and pressed his lips to Darcy’s. She tried not to recoil, but it was so sudden. Steve pulled back and frowned.

“I’m sorry! Oh, gosh, Darcy, I didn’t mean…”

“Shut up,” she said, and pulled him back to her, pressing her mouth firmly against his. Steve was taken aback for about half a second then he came back and his hands made their way to the smooth expanse of Darcy’s bare back. His hands were warm on Darcy’s cool skin, stroking up and down. She arched into his touch, pressing herself on his chest.

“God, Darcy, you are so amazing,” he whispered against her neck as he kissed and nibbled the skin there. His hands came up and he filled both with her soft curls, loving the feel of her abundant hair. When they pulled apart for breath, Darcy sat back and sighed deeply.

“Do you want to come back to my room?” she asked. She tried to keep the hopeful tone from her voice so that she didn’t seem like a cheap floosy, but she knew her feelings showed on her face.

“I…wouldn’t feel right. You know…the food and wine…”

“Oh, right…” Darcy’s face fell, but she tried to smile through it.

“I just want to make sure that this is all because we’re good together. Not because of alcohol.” And again, Steve was right. He was always right. “But I’ll walk you to your door.” His smile was a little sneaky, and a little naughty. They took their time getting back to Darcy’s room, kissing and giggling the whole way. All Darcy wanted was for Steve to use both hands and hold her breasts, squeeze and massage them. But while he explored all of her back, and even dipped down to give her ass a good squeeze, that’s as far as they went.

At her door, Steve stepped back and took a deep breath. Darcy looked down to see the bulge that had been pressing into her the whole way back. She wondered how much of a difference there would be between post-serum and post-un-serum Steve. But it didn’t matter, really. Being with Steve was the dream, being his girl, not just sleeping with Captain America.

“So, now what?” Darcy asked.

“Well, I’m going to my place, and take a long, cold shower. But maybe we can, I don’t know, go out on a date? We get along. We can go see a show or something. Tomorrow?”

“Sure, a show. That sounds nice.” Darcy leaned in and kissed Steve’s cheek again, and then kissed his lips. “I’ll let you choose the show. I’ll choose the restaurant for before the show. OK?”

“Sounds good. Good night, Darcy.”

“Good night, Steve.”

With one last kiss, Darcy retreated behind her door. When it was closed, she leaned back against it, with a huge smile on her face. The door was closed, cold against her skin. But she had sweet memories in her head, thoughts that would keep her going the next day until her date. And she would need another amazing dress as well. She’d sneak out at lunch the next day and see if she could find something spectacular.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schmexxy times, that is all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know how many more chapters there'll be, maybe 2. Maybe I'll get annoyed and post another tonight, I dunno. But here's today's installment, NSFW, believe me!

*-*-*-*

In the morning, Darcy was getting her coffee and breakfast, loving the communal kitchen for the Avengers, and the high tech coffee machine and waffle maker, and decided that since Jane was at a meeting that morning, she’d take her time getting down to the lab. Sitting at the table, she had a mouth full of waffle and was laughing at something on Tumblr from her phone, when Pepper walked into the kitchen. She walked straight to the coffee machine and made a cup for herself. She stood there, in her perfect cream-colored Zac Posen suit and matching Louboutin stilettos, drinking daintily from a cup with a saucer beneath it, and Darcy sighed sadly. This caused Pepper to turn and smile while putting her cup down.

“Good morning, Darcy. Are you OK?”

“Hi, yeah, I’m OK. I’m just…you know…”

Pepper frowned. Darcy didn’t have much experience with the woman, other than the welcome to the Avengers’ space, and casual hellos in the building.

“I have a few minutes until my first meeting. Would you like to talk?” Pepper said, sitting next to Darcy at the table.

“No, you’re like too busy and too…perfect. You don’t need my problems.”

“Perfect?” Pepper said, laughing a bit. “Well, thank you, but believe me, I am far from perfect. Is that what’s bothering you? Because you are a wonderful young woman. You shouldn’t compare yourself to me, or anyone else.”

“Well, Steve wants to go to a show tonight, and…well, that dress that I wore last night was the only really nice dress I have. I didn’t take a lot with me when I came to college, and then I moved to Puento Antiguo and never went back to school and I lost things in the move from there to London and back here…I’m just a mess. I want Steve to look at me…the way that Tony looks at you.”

Pepper smiled, and her mouth wrinkled sadly. “You don’t see it, but he does. He really did last night. And you know what? You go to your lab and wait for my assistant to call you. We’ll make sure that tonight is perfect for you both.”

“We?” Darcy was a little confused.

“Your fairy godparents, Tony and I.” Pepper’s smile was massive. “Now, I’m going to my meeting, and I’ll talk to you later!” The click of Pepper’s heels echoed through the room as she retreated to the elevator. Darcy smiled and sighed, much happier this time. She finished her breakfast and went down to the lab, and floated on air.

True to her word, about 10 that morning, Pepper’s assistant called and told Darcy about the appointment she had with the tailor from Gucci who would be coming to get Darcy’s measurements for a dress that night. Shoes would be provided as well. Darcy couldn’t stop smiling. When lunch rolled around, she didn’t want to eat too much, so she had soup and a seltzer.

After lunch, she got a package via internal messenger with tickets to see “Jersey Boys,” and a note that stated she and Steve had six o’clock reservations for Per Se, the highest Michelin-rated restaurant in New York, and there would be a car with them the whole night. Darcy couldn’t help the excited squeal that left her mouth as she read the memo.

“I hope that’s a good yelp, because if not, leave!” Jane said. “I have all of ten minutes to breathe, and I’m not wasting it on your stupid internet issues.”

“Jane…I’m going to see ‘Jersey Boys’ tonight! And before that, dinner at Per Se!”

“The French place? Really? Wow, I’m afraid to take Thor there, because the dishes aren’t big enough! He thinks the family-style Italian dishes are just for him! Oh, I’m so jealous! Wait…do you have…”

“Pepper sent Gucci to get my measurements. They’re bringing shoes…I…I have fairy godparents!” Jane and Darcy shared a very unprofessional hug in the middle of the lab. It wasn’t often they got to be girly with things, being always about business or science. Sometimes, you just wanted to act silly and squeal about something.

They went back to work and when three o’clock rolled by, when Darcy usually sent an intern to make blended drinks, there was a delivery of the dress and shoes. Darcy accepted the dress bag and shoe box and just held them.

“Jane…this is a custom-fitted dress…for me…I’ve never…that dress I wore last night was only twenty pounds in London’s east end. This is just…incredible!”

She unzipped the bag and looked over the tantalizing silk dress. It was delicate orchid, a perfect color for spring, with silk-covered shoes to match. Darcy was sure that Pepper was perfect. She was Darcy’s new spirit animal.

When Darcy finished preparing for the night, with hair up and makeup on, she heard a knock at the door. She strode out to open it, and see Steve standing there, wearing a dark beige silk suit, with matching orchid shirt and tie to her dress.

“Steve, you look incredible! Oh, we match!” She reached out and gently stroked his tie.

“Darce, you look divine…Wow, I’m not…I don’t…”

“Always the silver tongued-devil, aren’t ya?” she said, stepping aside. Steve stepped in and Darcy noticed he had a box in his hand.

“This…for you…” he said, hand shaking a little.

The box was from Swarovski, and in it was a white gold necklace with an orchid pendant designed with colored crystals of lavender, green and yellow, with a subtle touch of pink. It had matching earrings as well. She stood still as Steve, with cool, shaky hands, fastened the necklace around her neck. She put the earrings in herself, and then went to the wall mirror beside the door to look at her reflection. Steve came to stand beside her, and Darcy couldn’t help but blush, feel the prickly heat climbing up her back. They looked really good together.

*-*-*-*

When they left the theater, Darcy was still spinning around Steve, singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and giggling. They sent their driver off because the walk from the theater to the Tower wasn’t very far and it was a cool night with a gentle breeze. They settled into a stroll holding hands, going up 42nd street past Bryant Park, where Darcy asked if they could walk on the grass. The police officer standing there smiled and said, “Lady, if I let everyone on the grass that wanted it, it’d be wall to wall bodies.”

Darcy laughed, as did Steve, and they walked back out of the park to stroll past the big library on the corner. “Did you used to come here back in the day?” she asked, looking at the lions in the front on Fifth Avenue.

“Yep, to do my art school homework. I’d sit in there all day working. The architecture is fabulous.”

“We’ll do it some time.”

Steve just smiled at her. Darcy led him back to the Tower, entering through Grand Central Terminal, and going in past the special overnight security. They waved Darcy through, but still gave Steve a good look when he went in, because they were used to Big Steve.

Darcy hit the button and at their floor, she reached out to grab Steve by the collar to pull him to her door.

“Hey, be careful, this is borrowed,” he said, cracking a big smile.

“Well, then I won’t rip it off you,” she purred, backing towards her door, trying desperately not to blush.

“Oh…what?” he asked, tripping a little.

Darcy stopped in her tracks. “No, Steve, don’t be scared. Don’t get all nervous and shy. It’s just me, OK? We had such a great time tonight. Dinner was fantastic, the show was incredible, and now…now we have a good night.” Darcy didn’t want to sound like she was pleading, but she wasn’t sure that was coming across. But the warm feeling that started in her belly when Steve smiled again certainly wasn’t from the wine she’d drank at dinner.

They went into the apartment and Darcy firmly closed the door behind her. Steve watched as she slipped off her shoes and visibly relaxed.

“Flats or not, new shoes are rough!” she said.

“Would you like me to rub them for you?” Steve asked, leaning back against the door.

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea,” she said, walking towards him and slipping her arms around his neck. His arms went around her waist, pressing against her back. Their mouths met gently, tenderly at first, but Steve pulled her tightly to him, grinding against her, and she was very pleased with what she felt.

Pushing Steve back a step, Darcy slipped out from under his arms and grabbed his tie to pull him along the hallway to the bedroom. Steve followed willingly, looking Darcy over appreciatively. She backed through the bedroom door and the sound of it banging against the wall made her jump a little. She moved forward, right back into Steve’s arms.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, doll face, I got you. You’re safe with me.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be safe.” Steve growled a little and lunged at Darcy, eliciting a very loud squeal from her, toppling them both onto the bed. Darcy giggled and it took a few seconds before Steve smiled and giggled as well. She wanted him to know sex could be fun and silly, and it didn’t mean she was laughing at him.

“Oh, no, wait! My dress!” Darcy exclaimed. With a shove, Darcy rolled Steve over onto his back where he lay spread out but looking up at Darcy. She stood there smoothing the dress down, preening just a little bit for Steve.

“You’re a looker, alright,” Steve said.

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, soldier,” she said, shimmying her shoulders. She extended her arm and then reached behind her to grab the zipper and pull it down, undulating her shoulders and hips to a tune only in her head. Another quick shoulder shake and the bodice of the dress fell forward, revealing the lace border of her strapless bra. It was light beige, like her skin, so it wouldn’t show through the silk. Steve’s sharp intake of breath spurred her on to raise her arms, stand up and wiggle until the dress pooled at her feet, revealing the matching lace panties with ruffles across the backside, just showing a hint of the curve of her buttock.

“You like what you see, soldier?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am! Don’t let me stop you!” Steve encouraged, sitting up on his elbows.

Both of her hands came up to dig into the tight French twist on her head to pull out the pins and shake out her wild riots of curls, letting them fall around her shoulders and down her back. The tendrils tickled her skin and gave her chills. She could feel her nipples pebble and poke against the lace. She climbed onto Steve’s lap, pushing him to lie flat. She leaned down, close to his face, and said, “Just relax. I’m going to make you feel really good.”

She bent over, bracing herself over Steve’s body and slowly lowered her face to his, her mouth to his, her body to his. Steve reached up to hold her face, kissing her deeply, tasting her slowly. They had all night to learn each other. Hands slid along silk, skin, lace and hair. Darcy reveled in pulling off Steve’s tie and began unbuttoning his shirt. She spread the sides wide, but instead of touching him with her hands, she leaned down and licked a wide stripe up his chest. Steve could only shiver.

Darcy was thankful Steve let her take the lead, letting her take his clothes off, moving with him up the bed, but she gave him a very naughty smile of approval when he reached behind her and popped her bra closure open. Both sides flung out, letting her bountiful bosom spill forward.

“I did learn a few things on that USO tour,” he whispered against her neck. Both hands came up to her breasts, squeezed and fondled her. He started to roll them over, but Darcy could see him straining, so she continued rolling them over, until she was on her back. She pulled Steve’s face back down, locking on his mouth. This gave Steve freedom to remove the rest of his clothing, tossing them to join Darcy’s dress on the floor.

They took their time, intimately exploring each other’s body. Steve encouraged Darcy when she went down on him, and she praised him as he buried his face between her thighs.

“God bless friendly USO dancers!” she said, just before coming. They both came down in each other’s arms, letting their heart beats calm. Steve kissed Darcy again, stroking her thigh and hip, and she could feel him coming to life again.

“Are you ready for round 2?” she asked.

“Yeah, anything you want, Darce,” he said, stretching out on top of her. He pressed kisses to her breasts and nibbled on her nipples.

Darcy reached over and pulled open her night table drawer for a condom. She handed it to Steve and said, “You want to do this, or should I?”

“I think I can handle this myself.” And handle it he did, ripping the packet open with his teeth, and rolling the latex on like a pro. He leaned back over Darcy, lowering himself down to his elbows, but waiting. Darcy took his face in her hands and kissed him again. She spread her legs wider and grabbed his hips, helping guide him inside her.

“Oh, damn, that’s good,” Steve said, bottoming out against her. Darcy sighed deeply and grabbed Steve’s ass with both hands. They rocked against each other, speeding up and slowing down, taking their turns on top of each other, on their sides facing each other, all the time kissing and touching and murmuring words of love and passion.

Darcy could feel Steve holding back, trying to move his hips to bring her off, but it wasn’t going to happen that way. Darcy took matters into her own hands and began squeezing him inside her, using her inner muscles to make herself as tight as possible. Steve’s movements became erratic and jerky, then he came with a shout and collapsed on her. Darcy’s arms closed over him, and she wrapped her legs around his hips.

After a few moments, Steve sat up breathless and said, “Wait…you didn’t…finish…”

“I did before. I’m OK.”

Steve gave her a smirk and said, “Just a minute.” He went into the bathroom to clean up, then came stalking back into the room. He climbed back onto the bed, and settled beside Darcy. He pulled her down to kiss him, deeply and thoroughly. But she was surprised when he pressed her back down and smiled. His kisses traveled over her body, her throat and chest, breasts, belly and down her hips.

He settled himself again between her legs and said, “Mind if I go back over some material from before? I seem to want to revisit some previously reviewed territory.”

“Oh, be thorough, please,” she moaned, before dropping her head back onto the pillow. And thorough he was. Steve kept her on the verge of coming for the next hour, building her up then letting it cool, then building up again. By the time he let her come, she was covered in sweat, shaking and incoherent. Steve held her tightly as she calmed.

Just before they both started to fall asleep, Darcy pulled Steve in to kiss her again. “Thank you. You’re amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, and they settled to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve may be getting stronger as a little guy, but some things are still plaguing him. He's not as incapable as he thinks. Wanda helps Darcy decide how she wants her man. Pietro is still a little inappropriate around his sister. And even though Clint is a wise ass, he's kinda wise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to have mercy on you all and finish the story today, so it's pretty long. Hopefully, this will tide you over until I post my next story. :)

*-*-*-*

One thing Darcy noticed about Steve as the weeks went on, he’d started exercising. His asthma was controlled on medication, his diet was far improved, and he was really thankful there was improvement on healthcare in general. One morning after breakfast, he shook his head and said, “When I was little, because I have what was called ‘pernicious anemia’, I had to eat raw liver every morning. My mother would get it from the hospital kitchen. I still hate the stuff to this day, cooked, pâté or otherwise.”

“Oh my God, and that phrase totally applies! That is fucking nasty!” she declared.

“Tell me about it. I had to eat it. I take a pill now. I take a lot of pills now.” Steve sighed in despair.

“Yeah, but you’re healthier than you were in 1943 when you joined the Army. You haven’t had an asthma attack, you haven’t had any angina nor any nose bleeds from your blood pressure, and I’m thinking that the training you’ve been doing with the assassin twins and Thor has given you some muscle. You’re looking really good there, soldier,” she said, kissing his neck. Steve and Darcy were lying on the couch in the common lounge, watching one of Darcy’s favorite shows, Mythbusters. They were testing eel skin wallets erasing credit card information.

“I know, I just…sometimes I wonder what you see in me,” he said, rather quietly.

Darcy knew this was going to come up. Inside, she needed to admit she fell in love with Steve when he was big and strong, but that wasn’t what attracted her to him. He truly had a gentle nature. He was very smart, and would engage her in political conversations, which was helpful for his education in updating his knowledge, as well as when analyzing situations in his job at SHIELD, when he worked there. He was a joy to watch working with kids, when he would go and do charity work. And did she mention he was really handsome and sweet?

The thing about his reversion back to his smaller self, his handsome face stayed the same. His big, pretty blue eyes were still there, lined with the longest fringe of lashes she’d ever seen. His hands were strong-looking, and when he held her, though his arms were thin, he held her tightly. Regardless of what he thought of his appearance and his abilities, when she was in his arms, she always felt safe.

“I see a man who knows the right thing to do, and always does it because it’s what a person should do, not because he wants the brownie points for doing it.”

“Yeah, well, back in my time, the right thing to do was easier to figure out.”

“Well, maybe so, but there’s also reasons to do things. In Judaism, we call those mitzvahs. It’s a good deed you do because that’s the right thing, and you’re not expecting God’s credit for it. It makes you a mensch.”

Steve smiled widely and chuffed out a laugh. “Mrs. Levinson on the second floor would call Bucky a mensch for taking care of me, back in the day.”

“Even she knew how good you are. Dr. Erskine knew you were the right man for the job, especially after your skinny butt jumped on that grenade! What were you thinking?” she asked, looking at him, with wide eyes and an equally wide smile.

“I…I was trying to protect Peggy,” Steve replied, somewhat reluctantly.

“You essentially laid down your life for her. Did she know that?”

“Yes, she did. She doesn’t remember it now, but she knew then.”

That statement brought the mood down, made Steve very contemplative. But Darcy reached out and touched his cheek. “That is what I see in you. I know, that big or small, you would lay down your life to protect me. You would do anything you could to get me back, if some splinter Hydra cell abducted me. I know that if I told you that you were going to be a father, you would be excited and would start nesting with me.”

“Nesting?” he asked, sitting up and pulling Darcy more firmly against him.

“Yes, making our collective living spaces comfortable and safe for the baby. You wouldn’t let me lift a finger, even if it sent you into a dozen asthma attacks. That’s what I see in you.”

Steve smiled at her, and then pressed a gentle, warm kiss to her mouth.

“Hey, you got a room, go use it!” Clint said, walking into the lounge with a plated sandwich that would make Dagwood Bumstead jealous. He had two bottles of beer balanced as well, and he sat down in one of the large leather chairs facing the television. “What are we watching?”

*-*-*-*

“Guh!” came the groan from Steve’s chest as he hit the mat. Again.

Natasha rolled to her feet and crouched, ready for Steve’s next attack. Steve took his time getting back up, wiped the back of his arm across his forehead and then got into position. He and Natasha were practicing krav maga, and Clint was up in the gym’s ceiling rafters, shooting randomly at Steve or Natasha with Nerf arrows dotted in red paint, simulating battle damage.

Darcy watched on one of her computer screens, having JARVIS keep his eye on Steve for her while she was at her desk. She looked up every few minutes, making sure he was still sparring, still on his feet. But as the session wore on, she could see him getting more and more fatigued. And that didn’t bode well.

Down in the gym, Steve had a determined look on his face as he rushed Natasha, seemingly throwing caution to the wind. Darcy watched in horror as Natasha flipped Steve over her head and he landed flat on his back. She could see all the wind leave his lungs. She jumped up from her desk, scrabbled through her messenger bag for one of his inhalers and ran to the elevator bank. The few seconds until she was out the elevator door and through into the gym was excruciating. But she skidded to as stop as she saw Natasha holding oxygen for Steve, Clint had jumped down from his perch with Steve’s inhaler and Thor was entering with a red canvas bag with a big white cross on it full of medical supplies.

Steve was pale as a ghost. Natasha had taken his wrist and was counting his pulse. Darcy knelt beside Steve and took his other hand, pressing it against her face.

“Steve, nod if you’re alright.” He looked up at her, nodding slightly. His eyes were slightly watered, and he turned his head away. She reached out to turn his face back to her but he shook her off, grunting under the mask. Bruce came running into the room, kneeling at Steve’s side.

“OK, all non-essential personnel need to step away.” But Darcy stayed put. Bruce looked at her, and nodded. He checked Steve over, taking a syringe full of medicine and jabbing it into Steve’s arm. Darcy took Steve’s hand and brought his fingers to her lips, but he pulled it away. This took Darcy back. They’d been so happy together, so close these last few weeks since the show. They slept together every night, not always making love, but always curling up together.

“Steve, just let us take care of you,” she said, running her hand over his hair to smooth it back from his forehead.

“Fine,” he rasped out.

Clint and Natasha helped Steve to his feet, and he pulled the oxygen mask off his face. They helped him up to his suite to rest. Darcy went as well, following anxiously. Bruce checked Steve’s blood pressure and pulse oxygenation one more time before leaving them alone. Darcy went for water for both of them, and sat across from Steve on the couch.

“Are you sure you’re OK?” she asked, handing him an open bottle.

“What’s this? You think I can’t even open the bottle myself? I’m not strong enough? Thanks a lot. Some girl you are,” he said, taking a drink, but taking too much and coughing.

“Steve! I was trying to help! Trying to make you feel better. You were doing so well, until you landed just so on your back. You have been working out, and maybe you don’t, but I see a difference.”

“Yeah, I know. But this…I can’t be like this anymore. I need to have…”

“It’s just a body, Steve. Your mind is still there. You still speak, like, six languages, and your perception and processes are still enhanced the way they appeared after your transformation.”

“My body is what made the difference the last time. I never made a damn bit of difference as a little guy. I still don’t.”

“You make a difference to me.” Tears filled Darcy’s eyes as Steve stood and walked across the room. He had a picture of him, post-serum, in just his khaki pants and white t-shirt, laughing with the Howling Commandos. Steve’s arms were up and you could see the veins bulging from his biceps. He picked up the photo and looked at it, sighing before putting it back down.

“I’m glad you like me, and thank you. But…I can’t be like this. I need my body back. I feel like…like I’m…useless.”

“Steve, you’re not useless. Your talent with analysis, and your leaps of intuition, you can see patterns in things no one else can. You found four hidden Hydra cells, all based on just who were suspected of being there. Steve, there’s no way Coulson can revive SHIELD without you. You don’t need that bulked up body in order to make a difference!”

“You don’t know what this is like, Darcy,” Steve said, going to stand over her. “I feel like no one thinks I can even do the most basic things. I feel like…I’m handicapped or something!”

The clanging sound of metal hitting wood rang through the room and two small items hit Steve in the back of the head. He turned and watched as Clint slid out of the air vent near the ceiling. Clint’s face was a mask of anger. Darcy knelt up on the couch, still a bit shocked by Clint’s entry. The door to Steve’s suite opened and Natasha stalked in, arms folded under her breasts. That’s when Darcy looked back at Clint and he was signing rapidly. She was very sorry at that moment that she hadn’t taken American Sign Language as her language credit in college.

“Clint, what…I don’t understand,” Steve said.

“He’s saying that just because you’re small, doesn’t mean you’re useless or damaged,” Natasha explained. “He’s now saying that even having a handicap doesn’t make you useless.”

“Clint…I…I’m sorry,” Steve said. He bent down and picked up what looked like two little rubber beans. They were specially made hearing aids, ones that Tony made and that Stark Industries started to market for the deaf. Darcy had forgotten that Clint had been deaf for a long time, and still had partial hearing loss. She’d forgotten that Clint had the finest pair of eyes in the world, and some of the fastest reflexes he’d ever seen. She’d forgotten that the man could make complex physics calculations for his shots on the fly, using his environment for ricochets when he needed to. And apparently, Steve forgot as well.

Clint held his hand out for his hearing aids. They all watched as he put them back in. Clint just shook his head and walked out the front door, followed by Natasha, who shut it behind them. Darcy sat back on the couch and waited for Steve to make a move, to come join her or ask her to leave. But he joined her. And sat beside her. And began to cry. Her heart ached for him, as she reached out to take him in her arms and hold him tightly. She stroked his hair and pressed kisses to his cheeks and neck. But she didn’t shush him, didn’t speak, telling him to let it out or that it would be OK. She just held him. For twenty minutes, she held him as he cried. And when he was all cried out, he sat up and looked Darcy straight in the face and said, “The serum had cured my allergies. But they’re all back. And I miss peanut butter.”

Darcy couldn’t hold back a laugh and fell into Steve’s arms. They both laughed together.

*-*-*-*

Steve paced back and forth, arms folded over his chest. He wore a modified version of his navy blue uniform. It was tailored for his smaller stature, and his boots had been remade for him. He had a comm button in his ear and he was keeping his eyes on all the screens before him. JARVIS had split a massive wall screen into several so he could keep eyes and ears on all the action. After four months in his reverted form, Steve Rogers and the rest of the Avengers searched for Dr. Doom to hold him accountable for his crimes. They couldn’t go into Latveria, short of causing an international incident. The United Nations officially informed the Avengers and SHIELD that if any forces, covert or otherwise, were to enter Latveria for any reason, there would be American sanctions. Steve would not support that. He advised them he could wait.

He and Darcy had gotten very close, having fallen in love. At least, Darcy was truly in love with Steve, more than she had been before. She loved listening to him talk about his past. She loved cooking for him, trying to incorporate new types of food into his diet that he could tolerate, that he wasn’t allergic to, but also that he could enjoy. She was getting very good at gluten-free cupcakes.

Sitting in the ops room, working on monitoring local police, fire and military channels and giving out information as needed, Darcy loved helping Steve, the Avengers and SHIELD with their missions. She and Steve worked well together, and after the debriefings, they made love like maniacs until well into the early mornings. Darcy was still her happy, snarky self, but she was a fool for Steve, and she would do anything for him. Anything except help get his body back.

No, she didn’t want to see that happen, because if Steve became a super soldier again, he would go back out into the field, back into the world of super villains, into the fray of the fight. And he wouldn’t have time for her. He wouldn’t have a place in his life for her. He wouldn’t want to endanger her life, in case anyone found out about them. She would be a liability. And he would let her go from his life.

That wasn’t going to happen. She just got her life together. She was doing a job she could understand, using what she learned in her poly-sci education to analyze political and military situations, helping Steve plan moves, making a real difference. Things were finally going her way. And she had no intention of letting anything change.

So, there they were, four months after the initial magical intervention that gave her the man she loved. She was listening to the police radio, following them as they raided Doom’s previous residential tower. Signs of life had been seen in the penthouse, but before the Avengers could be dispatched there, Doombots were released all over the city. It was enough that the team had to split up and fight on their own, but when the shouts that Victor Von Doom had been found in his tower, she changed the channel to the silent military broadcast. No, if they found Doom, he would reverse his spell. And Steve would be lost to her.

Steve turned to her and asked, “Anything on the wires? On the broadcasts?”

“No, they’re pretty quiet, just dealing with the bots.” Darcy hated lying to Steve.

“Keep an eye on that tower. If he shows up, he’s got to come out sometime.”

“OK.”

Darcy watched as Steve went back to the control panel and typed in commands for different CCTVs around the city, trying to get more coverage of the action. Darcy watched from behind him, trying not to let her anxiety overcome her. She would just watch Steve and see what would happen. Hopefully, the police would just lock up Doom and do it quietly. But no such luck.

Over the comm, Wanda called out, “Victor is in police custody. Steve, I’m having them bring him to the tower so I can question him. Contact Dr. Strange and get him there, as well. Between the two of us, we will be able to figure out the spell he cast. And we will try and reverse it.”

“Shit,” Darcy whispered, but not quietly enough.

Steve turned abruptly. “What’s wrong?” he asked, walking towards her.

“No…nothing, I’m fine.” She smiled, but Steve stopped in front of her, looking carefully at her.

“Did you hear the police band? Did they say anything?” Steve asked.

“No, I was listening to the military,” she lied quickly.

“Why would you do that? We don’t have military called in on this! Darcy, you missed the message! We don’t know how long the police have had Doom in custody.”

“Captain, if I may,” JARVIS started, “the police apprehended Von Doom approximately thirty minutes ago.”

“Thanks, JARVIS. See? Now, get your laptop and notes, we’re going down to interrogation to meet Wanda and Stephen Strange, so they can find out how to change me back.”

But Darcy didn’t move. “No, you can go. I don’t need to be there. I have a couple other things to do. I’ll be in my room.”

Steve looked her over carefully, but nodded and then left the control room almost at a run. Damn! This wasn’t good. Maybe it was fate. Maybe he should just go back to who he was, go back to the super soldier who could protect the world with his shield and his fists. Darcy had her time with him, short as it was. She would give him up for the greater good. And then, she would leave.

Well, it made sense, didn’t it? She’d had the time of her life. She tased a god, met the greatest heroes on Earth, helped them catch some of the most heinous criminals in the galaxy and fell in love with the leader while doing it. All in all, it had been a good ride. She could even get a book out of it if she tried. SHIELD wasn’t what it once was. She could let some secrets out, like the guy who stole her iPod.

She retired to her suite and pulled out her trusty Marines duffle bag. It had belonged to her dad, but when she was a teenager, she appropriated it, decorating it with markers and paint pens. She began throwing her clothes into the bag, pulling things from her closet, only her clothes. She pulled out the red dress she wore to the dinner with Steve, when she first kissed him. Then she looked back at all the designer clothing hanging in her massive closet, all gifts of Tony, Pepper, and even Steve. She left them, the shoes, and the lingerie that coordinated with them. They weren’t really hers. But the dress. She held it to her face, breathed in the faint scent of Steve from the neck fastening, where he once fumbled with the clasp. She had worn it again, when they had a stay-home date, and Steve had gotten very hands-on with her after dessert. The memories were too sweet, and overtook her. Darcy curled up on her bed, crying.

*-*-*-*

All night, Wanda and Stephen Strange worked on Doom, trying to find out the magic he used on Steve. While Stephen was very knowledgeable of magic and the ways of the spirit world, Wanda was a more powerful magic user. The problem for her was she needed regular breaks of rest. And by sunrise, after fighting Doombots all night, and then grappling with Doom himself, she was exhausted. Pietro would not allow his sister to be tortured, not even for his team’s leader.

“Come, sister,” he said, taking her under the arms and lifting her out of the chair. “You need rest. I’ll carry you to your room. We can start again after you’ve slept.”

“Wait!” Steve shouted, coming around the table to put his hand on Pietro’s arm. Pietro looked down at Steve’s hand, then up into the nervous blue eyes. Pietro’s icy blue eyes portrayed nothing but danger to the smaller man.

“You will release me, Steve. I will not hesitate strike you, no matter your size.”

“Why are you giving up?” Steve cried. “We got him on the ropes! We gotta put the screws to him!”

“No! My sister needs rest. We can begin this again after she’s had sufficient sleep. Were it Darcy, wouldn’t you do the same?” Pietro questioned, staring straight into Steve’s eyes.

Steve just nodded and stepped aside. He watched as Pietro swung Wanda up into his arms and allowed Stephen Strange to lead him out of the room. Victor Von Doom just sat at the table, locked in iron manacles to the floor.

“I guess you’ll have to wait until the morning for your…rescue, good Captain. Tell me, have you learned your lesson? Have you learned to respect your gifts?” Doom asked, voice dripping with mockery.

“Respect my gifts? You did this because you didn’t think I had respect for the gift Dr. Erskine gave me? Who the hell do you think you are testing my moral compass, you evil bastard!” Steve shouted, descending on Doom.

Thor and Clint burst into the room, separating Steve from the prisoner. Clint dragged Steve outside while Thor worked with the security force to wrangle Doom out of the room and down into his holding cell. Wanda had instructed them to keep him locked in an iron cell, as it would cancel his magical abilities. He wasn’t a magical mutant, the way she was. His magic was learned, appropriated and stolen over the years.

Clint escorted Steve to his room and put his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Go talk to your girl,” he suggested.

“No, she’s still in the lab, working…”

“No, she’s in her room. Go and talk to her.”

Steve nodded and went down the hall past his door to Darcy’s. He knocked and waited, giving Darcy a moment before he walked in. The door handle gave under his hand and he walked through to Darcy’s bedroom where he found her, asleep on her bed, clutching her favorite dress, all her lights still on. He saw her duffle bag also sitting on the floor, full of her clothes, and was concerned. But he could talk to her in the morning.

Steve set about pulling the dress from her hands and tried to get her to move up the bed without waking, but it didn’t work. Darcy’s eyes fluttered open and settled on Steve. He watched as her eyes brightened a moment, then that brightness was replaced with clouds. She took a deep breath and then rolled onto her back before sitting up.

“Hey, sorry to wake you, Darce,” he said. “You should get into some pajamas and get to bed. You…want me to…”

“No, you should go to your room,” she said, a little too quickly. “You need to get up early for your interrogations again. I guess Doom didn’t crack.”

“No, he didn’t. Wanda was exhausted. Dr. Strange wasn’t able to get through, either. So we’re trying again in the morning.”

“Oh, good.” Darcy was certain she didn’t sound as happy as she should.

Steve looked pointedly at the duffle bag sitting on the floor, then back to Darcy.

“You planning a trip?” he asked, quietly but without accusation.

“Yeah, I was going to try and go home for a while. It’s been years since I’ve seen my parents. I mean, we had a kind of strained relationship, but I should go. It’s only Philadelphia, so…yeah. You know, repair relationships and all that.”

Steve nodded. “When will you come back?” he asked, smiling softly.

“I…well, I don’t know.”

This brought a frown to Steve. Why would she leave and not tell him when she was coming back? Was something wrong? Or maybe he did something wrong, and she was just too sweet to tell him off to his face. Maybe she had someone waiting for her back in Philadelphia and it was time for her to end things with him. Either way, his life would change again in the morning and he needed some rest before he went at Doom again.

“So…I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then?” he asked. “I’ll let you get some sleep, and…hopefully I’ll be restored before you go.”

“Oh, well, you don’t have to hurry for me. I’ll be OK. Just make sure you get what you want.”

The look of defeat on Darcy’s face stabbed deeply into Steve’s heart. He stood and left the room, head down.

*-*-*-*

In the early morning light, Darcy rose from her bed and dressed quickly. She was planning on an early breakfast, before anyone else was awake, then leaving so she wouldn’t have to say goodbye, or worse, explain herself. She was just finishing her coffee, in the common kitchen only illuminated by a small light under a counter, when all the lights were turned on and Darcy was startled. She turned, finding Wanda standing in the doorway, wearing a red bathrobe, instead of her ever-present long jacket and head dress combination. It was strange to see Wanda’s hair loose and free around her face. It made her softer and more real. When she was in her suit, she held herself a bit stiffer, and was much more guarded.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Wanda said. She walked further into the room and went for the coffee maker. One of Stark’s inventions, it was always ready with a cup. She fixed it for herself and then went to sit at the table.

“Are you going somewhere?” Wanda asked.

“I…I’m going home for a while. To see my parents, my family. I haven’t seen them in a while and I should go home.”

“Really? I find that interesting, since most likely I will be able to find Doom’s secret spell and return Steve back to his enhanced form. I thought you and he were an item. You wouldn’t want to be here for him? To support his return to being a superhero.”

“He doesn’t need me. He’ll be fine. He needs to get back to being Captain America. Back out into the fight. But…at least I got to be with him a while, right?” Darcy smiled a bit, but it didn’t reach her eyes. And she didn’t feel it in her heart.

“I think you’re making a big mistake. He needs you. Hasn’t he shown you that?”

Darcy could feel the prickle of heat and anger crawl up her spine. “What would you know? You haven’t been around. Where have you been? Hunting down Doom, right? Well, I’ve been here with Steve, every day and I’ve helped him come to terms with his body!”

Darcy couldn’t help shouting. She couldn’t hold in the fear any longer, the fear she’d been suppressing the entire time she’d been with Steve.

“Yes, and you can help him readjust to his enhanced state.”

“If he goes back, he won’t need me. He won’t want me! Don’t you get it! He’s too good for me!”

Wanda stood and went to Darcy, who was getting hysterical. All the pain bottled inside her came out in a rush of tears. Wanda took the young woman in her arms and held her, rocking her back and forth.

“Darcy, is it that you won’t love him when he returns to his enhanced size?”

“I don’t care about his size!” Darcy pulled away from Wanda and turned to see Steve standing in the doorway. “Oh, God…” she said before turning back to the far wall, so he couldn’t see her face. Wanda left the room, but not before waving away the other team members who had gathered outside the kitchen area to listen.

Steve walked up to Darcy, earnest look on his face, and put his hand on her cheek. “Going back to my bigger body isn’t about how I look, not anymore.”

“I want you to be a hero…I do…” Darcy said, thickly. “I just know that once you do, you won’t need me to make you happy…”

Steve took Darcy’s face in both hands and turned her to look at him in his eyes. “I need you because you make me happy just being with me. And if I get big again, I’ll still need you with me every day, and when I’m restored, and I open my eyes, I want your face to be the first I see. You understand me? I want you here. I want you with me.” To punctuate his statement, Steve pressed his lips to Darcy’s and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

The heat began in his lips, in his mouth, spreading across his face. It filled his hands, his arms, his chest. The emotion overcame them both, and Darcy could feel herself being lifted off her feet. Steve had never quite managed it before, but he seemed to easily hold her up, stepping back to sit her on the counter. There was a ripping sound and a groan before the kiss was ended. Steve stepped back out of her arms and Darcy opened her eyes. Standing before her was Steve Rogers, Captain America, back as the enhanced super solder, tall, blond and strong. His t-shirt hadn’t fared well, tearing in the shoulder, but he’d been smart and wore sweatpants that stretched across his wider pelvis and hips.

“Oh, God, Steve,” Darcy said, covering her mouth.

Steve held his hands up, the way he had when he’d first been transformed, and he looked over his whole body. He was restored, arms full of muscles, pumped up chest and longer legs. His face turned up to Darcy and he was smiling, widely.

“I’m…me? I…how?” Darcy couldn’t mistake the smile on his face, and she could feel her heart beginning to break. It was breaking until he scooped her up into his arms again and swung her around, holding her tightly to him and laughing out loud.

“He’s gone,” came the call from out in the common lounge. Steve turned and ran out to see who was shouting, to find out what was wrong. It was Clint, looking up the long spiral staircase to the other Avengers’ floors. Clint turned to Steve and said, “It’s Doom. He’s gone. We had him in a full-on secured room, iron all around to dampen his magic…”

“Did someone let him out?” Steve asked, turning to the large screen that was being lowered in the lounge by JARVIS.

“No, he just vanished, like he was sitting around the whole time, just waiting…wait, you’re big again.”

“Thanks for noticing, but keep talking,” Steve said, using his hands to start manipulating 3D video screens in the air, the way Tony did, typing on a virtual keyboard in the air. He brought up video footage from inside the cell, and the door leading out of it from the corridor and as the video proceeded, Doom seemed to stand up in his cell from the cot where he lay, nod at the camera and then disappear in a flash of light.

“Why?” Steve asked. “If he could leave any time he wanted, why did he let us lock him up?”

“There’s no explanation,” Wanda said, walking back into the room. “I went down to his cell, and the traces of power I first noted when he changed Steve were gone. He has well and truly disappeared. And knowing Doom, he will return to finish what was started here.”

“Then we’ll take care of him,” Steve said. He turned and looked at Darcy, who stood in the doorway, watching as the team members gathered in the room. They all took turns congratulating him, shaking his hand. Wanda hugged him tightly, then whispered in his ear. Darcy couldn’t hear, or read Wanda’s lips from her vantage point. But both turned to the young woman, who waited. Steve went to her and stood before her.

“You OK, Darce?” he asked, reaching out for her shoulder.

She looked up into his eyes. He was smiling, and it was the same smile, the same eyes that looked at her all the times he said he cared for her. The same eyes that looked into hers when they made love.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Um…can you help me unpack my bag?” she asked, finally letting a small grin creep over her mouth.

“Not going home?”

“No…not right now. I think…there’s someone here who needs me around more than my family right now.”

Darcy threw her arms around Steve’s middle, no longer able to reach his neck. He hugged her back tightly, then allowed her to lead him back to her room. They didn’t leave for two days.

*-*-*-*

In the gym, Steve pounded on the heavy bag, smile wide across his face. It felt good to exert himself again. How he missed this feeling. Although, the two days before, he’d exerted himself with Darcy quite a few times, leaving her to sleep late that morning. He punched, this time allowing his smile to show through when he sent the bag flying across the gym into the wall, laughing a little.

“Very good, Captain,” came the drawl from behind Steve’s back. “It’s nice to see you back to your old ways.”

Steve spun to see Doom standing behind him in the middle of the gym. The shock was just momentary before Steve started for him, not quite sure what he was going to do when he reached Doom. But the villain-cum-magician held his hand out, and Steve froze, unable to move.

“Ah ah ah, Captain. Not until I’ve had my say. I must admit, I misjudged you,” Doom said. He was very fond of his monologues. “I thought the way to disassemble the Avengers would be to start with the Captain, to remove what makes him special, what he holds in highest regard. But I was wrong. Your size isn’t what made you special, not at all. I now know that there is something you hold in even higher regard than yourself, than your specialness. But I also believe that in trying to use this against you, it would unite the Avengers stronger than ever. Give Miss Lewis my regards.”

Then Doom disappeared, the same as he had before, relinquishing his hold on Steve at the same moment. Steve looked around, even though he knew in the back of his mind Doom was well and truly gone. Steve took off at a run from the gym all the way up the spiral stairs to his floor and to Darcy’s suite, to her bedroom where he found her sleeping, the way he left her. She turned her head at his sudden entrance and smiled.

“Morning, handsome,” she said, then yawned and stretched.

“Have you been sleeping this whole time?” Steve asked, looking around, making sure everything was the same.

“Yeah, why? I was left pretty exhausted, you know,” she drawled, rolling onto her back and letting the sheet slip off her body. “Although, I could use a reminder of what exactly it was that made me so tired.”

Steve smiled at her, a knowing, naughty smile. “I was in the gym, though. I’m…”

“Perfect. Get over here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Steve pulled his white t-shirt off his body and crawled across the bed to her. He sat back and pulled off his sneakers and socks, then moved to pull off his sweatpants, but Darcy stopped him. “Just kiss me. We’ll get to that soon enough.”

“Of course. Anything you want.”

As he held her, he thought back to what Doom had said about her. Yes, she was more important to him than anything else, and yes, if anything happened to her, it would incur the wrath of all the Avengers. They could protect her, teach her to protect herself, but ultimately, the only way to keep Darcy safest was to neutralize the threats. That would take time. Thankfully, it was something they had, time to be together.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are love, and feel free to visit my tumblr blog at http://amazon-x.tumblr.com/ and give me prompts if you like!


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